One More Day
by hanabimonai
Summary: Nezumi reflects on some quality time spent with Shion. Alternate ending. Language mild, but sexual themes present. End of anime/minor novel references but not plot spoilers. Hope you enjoy. Reviews appreciated! *ShiNezuShi* NB: I own nothing!
1. Chapter 1

I'd hoped to get a good distance away before it happened, but all too soon I heard my name called faintly from behind me, with a heartbreaking voice and a small sniffle. Losing my resolve, I turned around to find those red eyes burning, so _beautiful_, catching the orange sunset. Yet their fire was threatened with brimming tears, as the milky waves of his hair were splashing back and forth over them in the wind. He didn't even see me watching him, his eyes were already so wet. Two of the mice he named watched silently from my shoulder, judging me.

_I can still go on, I can pretend not to hear… _

But when he shut his eyes so tight, trying (as he always does too late) to hold back the storm, I felt my heart sink and my legs no longer had the strength to take me forward— they could only pull me back. My travel companions raced back to the ground as I turned on my feet.

In an instant I was in front of him, firmly gripping his chin, tilting his down-turned face up toward mine. As his eyes fluttered open in surprise, I pulled him toward me with an arm around his waist. Without a word, I devoted my lips to his, sinking deeper and deeper into this fierce and tender and passionate kiss that was rapidly draining all my will to leave before nightfall. All the thoughts I had of opening a distance— of not making things any harder than they already are— left my mind the second his timid but desperate arms came to rest around my neck. I wanted to offer words of consolation— to make sure he knew we'd surely meet again— our parting was never meant to be a final farewell.

It was never intended to be a goodbye kiss, and it most certainly wasn't. Perhaps I intended consolation, but that wasn't it either. Nor was it an apology, and definitely not thanks. It was _desire_. It was fire flowing through my veins. It was his needy, inexperienced body pressing closer, and mine responding to his touch with a frustrating urge to thrust. It was what I feared most about him… the principles I've based my entire life on seem to decay further and further every time I gaze on his now innocent, now wanton face. Shion had his own principles too…

_I __ruined __that __purity __and __innocence__… _I _brought __him __guilt __and __sorrow__…_

But I couldn't turn away now. And he knew. He _must_ have felt my heart pounding against his own before we drew back to look into each other's eyes. Eve attempted a performance anyhow: "Shion, it's time for me to leave here. But we'll definitely—"

"Come back with me, Nezumi," he intoned breathily, "Please don't go…" His eyes searched mine, so I closed them. My lips quivered against my will, so eyes still closed, I stilled them against his cheek, brushing it with them in passing, then hung my head on his shoulder, and placed a long, slow kiss on the nape of his neck. He shuddered then, and something stirred inside me.

"Shion…" And I couldn't bring myself to say what I needed to say. Eve had abandoned me. His hands dropped behind my shoulders, one rubbing my back. The flat palm spread into fingers that raked against my lower back, as if seeking to grasp something… words? I stifled a gasp. Did he _know_ how hot that was?

"Nezumi…" I could detect him fighting back tears again… "please." And tears came to _my_ eyes now, a single drop from each, safely out of view. Was it happiness, sadness, or...? No. Of course, it was _fear_.

"Shion," I murmured, gently stroking his back. "I'm afraid of you."

_I __brought __out __the __worst __in __him__… __I __would __have _died _for __him__…_

"But why? I _love_ you. I only want to be with you. That's all I ask." Dangerous words. But how could I stay here, in the city I wanted to destroy? Of course I could never _live_ in this place... and I will _never_ allow myself to put Shion in danger again…

"Shion, you _must_ stay here. And I must _go_. You know this."

"No, I still don't—"

"Such a child," I softly interrupted. "Maybe I should have left _you_ with Inukashi." After bringing a hand up to wipe away the evidence on my face, I pulled back, smiling slightly. And after one great sob, Shion managed to stop crying, and was wiping his eyes. Was he sensing a change in the air already? I stroked his wind-blown hair away from his face. "How about one more day?" I could see him pulling himself together. My smile broadened. I stepped back and bowed low, with a flourish. "But, _your __majesty_, the castle grounds have fallen to ruin."

"Then we'll to the citadel freshly conquered and won in battle." Mustering his best attempt at a haughty kingly visage, with nose in the air and eyes unamused, he gestured toward the city with surprising elegance.

_Still getting sharper. His comebacks are getting even better still._

The walls may have been gone, and the mice said crowds of revelers have died— that Holy Day Festival must have been a blast. Too bad we missed it— but the "former" No. 6's people hadn't magically awakened from their pampered ignorance within the tens of minutes since we returned from Hell. Yet at the same time, in a grand exodus from the giant ruin where we all once lived, West Block manhunt survivors marched toward the city, silhouetted against the setting sun. "That's really something, isn't it?"

And inside of the crumbling wall, great numbers of people were collecting to look outside their city, maybe for the first time. It looked mostly like Lost Town residents cutting through the forest on bikes and by foot… But when each side meets, wouldn't they begin to destroy each other? Or will they blend like paint? Was ours a Pyrrhic victory? Maybe the answer really _is_ somewhere in between. "Third way..." I whispered; I guess to myself.

_We're all the same humans on either side of that wall. He's always believed this._

"Let's go, Nezumi."

—

Morning came, but it was still dark. Ms. Karan's room was downstairs and she was up very early, doing the day's baking. Shion was still asleep, his head on my shoulder. Didn't need to get up just yet. I glanced around Shion's little bedroom. So quaint, compared to their palace back in Chronos, yet still very high class to a West Block resident.

Meeting Shion's mother the night before was _unbearable_. She had far too many kind words for a person like me. She embraced me like her own son and told me I'm like someone she's known for a long time, but that she just hadn't seen in a while. She gave me extra helpings of food, she had plenty of cheese bread for our loyal messengers, she looked at me so often with the most extremely grateful, teary-eyed expression on her face it took all my willpower not to run straight out of the room.

_So_ that's _where __he __gets __it __from._

I'm sure Shion was trying his hardest not to laugh, himself, it was so ridiculous. The woman must be mad. But she definitely loves her son— she recognised him right away. She was surprised at the changes in his appearance, but waited patiently until we could all sit down to dinner to hear Sion's story. Her stew and cherry cake were delicious and nostalgic. Even I was a little overwhelmed.

_Almost __like _I'm _the __one __coming __home._

It was difficult to talk about Safu. It's always hard to watch a Shion in pain. His emotions infect me. He should always be that cheerful natural airhead. But when I told them what little I knew of Elyurias, it seemed to comfort the two somewhat, at least.

_What's happened to me, trying to bring comfort to others?_

That night, Shion could only think of Safu. He clearly loved her very much. She was the one true friend who stayed with him after he was thrown out of Chronos…. because of me… and she _loved_ him. There really was nowhere else I could be but there to hold him, stroke his hair back, and just once, kiss his forehead as he cried. Shion, who cries for others. Shion who made _me_ cry for him.

_It's not your fault, Shion. Don't blame yourself. If anyone, blame me._

While thinking about the events of the previous evening, I had apparently been idly playing with Shion's hair. Soon he began to stir, but only moved in closer to me, sleepily throwing an arm over my torso. _Cute_. After months of platonic sleeping arrangements— sometimes sharing my bed, sometimes not— it's quite something we could so naturally become like this. And again, how nostalgic_._I was asleep in his arms back then, too.

_You win, Shion. We're not strangers. We haven't been since the day we met._

Bemused, I watched this angel sleep on my chest for a few more moments. But he wouldn't want me to let him while away our day sleeping, so I tried to wake him gently with a kiss to the top of his head. "Shion," I whispered into translucent white hair. He shifted slightly, smiling so peacefully in his sleep. I shifted down a bit so he coasted off my shoulder onto the pillow, and stroked his arm next. "Wake up, Shion."

"Mmmm." He rolled onto his back, his lips parting slightly. So inviting. I petted his hair again. He was still the picture of tranquility. I couldn't bring myself to shake him or raise my voice.

"Wake up, _sleeping __beauty_," I said with sarcasm. And on impulse, I leaned over and kissed those parted lips.

"Mmm… Nezu… mmm…" he kissed back, probably without even realizing he was doing it, since he still seemed to be asleep. Kissing_ in __his __sleep_? I broke away and started laughing. And of course, this was what woke him. "Hmmm? What's so funny? Were you just kissing me?" I smirked at his groggy confusion.

"And you kissed back, but you still didn't wake up." I burst out laughing again.

Shion laughed softly. "Really? I didn't know that was possible. I learn so much when I'm with you, Nezumi."

That set me off again and Shion joined in to laugh at himself as usual. Once I could finally stop laughing, I looked at him and smiled— probably far more fondly than I intended. "You're classic, a total _natural_. Like I said, you really should be a comedian."

_This is the endearing Shion I know._

"What time is it?"

"I don't know but your mama's downstairs baking." The sun was beginning to rise…

"So it's early."

"Yeah."

"I had a really vivid dream."

"Was I in it?"

"Yes actually, but you weren't speaking or doing anything. You were just there by my side."

I rolled my eyes at him in disappointment. "_Really _vivid, Shion."

He continued, unfazed; "Safu was speaking to me." When I heard the name, a flood of bad memories and a wave of concern began to wash over me all over again. I worried he'd spend our last day crying again. But actually, he was still smiling. "She thanked us and said not to worry or cry for her anymore. She'll live forever now as part of Elyurias. And maybe one day I can even see her again."

"I wonder why I—" Thankfully I was interrupted. Why was I on this line of thinking?

"She said she wanted me to be happy, and that we had her blessing."

"_Shion_," I warned. I didn't like where I thought this was going.

"And then she sort of faded away into golden particles of light and turned into a giant shining, multi-coloured bee, which flew away."

"Oh..." I had no words.

_But __I __haven't __told__ anyone __what __she __looked __like. __And __I _know _he __didn't __see __her!_

"After that, you and I were alone and— _oh!_" he suddenly turned bright red.

"_Oh?_ Ohhh…" I said knowingly. "So was I good? I bet I was, right?" He went so red it seemed like the mark on his cheek might disappear into it. Idiot. He wouldn't have been blushing like that if he could see some of the dreams _I've_ had about him. But he doesn't need to know about those.

_He's always been so unpredictable. But I guess that can be okay too…_

—

Breakfast was just the two of us while Shion's mama ran the bakery. Shion was cheerful enough, and smiling, but there was a note of sadness behind it. Likely lingering thoughts of Safu.

_Or is he thinking about us parting ways?_

While he lived with me, we rarely had breakfasts together. But watching Shion cook and arrange the plates to serve us here, it struck me how well he knew the locations of utensils, and ingredients, and the waste disposal tucked away in an alcove at the end of the room. It was almost graceful, the flow of his movements. Shion _graceful_? I wondered how it felt for him to be back here.

_Did we really only spend a few months together in the West Block?_

"Here you go, Nezumi." he said with a smile as he served me a mighty large breakfast and sat down to eat his own. He confessed to me then that he'd missed it here and he missed his mama.

"Mama's boy." I smiled, telling him with my eyes: _See?__ This __is __where __you __belong._

But he had something else on his mind; "There's something I'd like for us to do today."

—


	2. Chapter 2

When Ms. Karan and I said our goodbyes, she still smiled at me like I was some sort of superhero, but she also embraced me once again like a member of the family. She even said goodbye to the mice on my shoulder, petting each with one finger. I was still struck by how sunny and warm she could be, even as compared to Shion. But I suppose she was also just ecstatic to have her son back with her again. She wouldn't let me leave without choosing some of her baking to take along with me on the road. (I took more cherry cake, of course.) "We may not have much room, but you will always be welcome here, Nezumi-san. Please come to stay with us again."

Shion sometimes straddled, sometimes walked his shiny silver bike (which his mama was so proud to have saved from the Security Bureau's raid) alongside me as we headed, of all places, back to the ruins of the West Block. Shion wanted to see if we could find our old underground home. He thought there was a chance that if he spent some time there, he could salvage books and other possessions that I'd long since decided to leave behind. As far as I was concerned, assuming people could get in there, my old home and everything in it was up for grabs. I thought I'd just forget about it. But to Shion, everything there, and perhaps even the location itself, is like some kind of treasure. And this was _Shion's_ day.

_He attaches himself to inanimate objects as much as he does to people._

It's a good thing Lost Town is pretty close to the West Block. The walk was long, but it wasn't all that far, really. At the city limits— near the same spot we should have parted the day before, Shion removed the large backpack he was wearing and we stopped to rest a bit. He didn't want to draw attention, he said, but now that we were out of the city, Shion thought we could save a little time by riding double on his bike. The way he sped around, wobbling over uneven ground while I sat on the rear rack and alternated between lifting or bending my legs to avoid the ground… was just stupidly dangerous.

_But I have to admit I trust him… like he so easily did me._

There was trash and broken glass and splintered lumber everywhere but Shion didn't need my help navigating around it to locate a familiar landmark. We did have to dismount the bike at times, though.

The old playground was too filled with debris to play in but, unexpectedly, it was otherwise relatively unscathed. The neighbour kids'— Karan and Rico's— house, however, was flattened and completely ripped apart. I knew Shion would be fervently hoping that his former reading time friends weren't in the same state. But unlike the town and market areas, I could neither see nor smell a single casualty.

_It feels like… not a single drop of blood has fallen anywhere near here._

Incredibly, against all expectations, not only was our old home accessible, but it looked as though it could be completely intact. Shion tossed his bike aside carelessly and was about to race down the stairs like a giddy child. I swiftly stepped in to block him.

"Wait here while I go check things out. And don't make any noise." He nodded and watched expectantly as I headed downstairs, drawing a knife. All was silent, aside from my slow and measured steps. There were no signs of a single soul having entered the place. My eyes preferred the darkness, but I thought it a good idea to turn on each lamp as I went. Amazingly, everything really was exactly as we'd left it. Not a speck of dust out of place, and no intruders either. A few books had fallen to the ground, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for us. If someone asked, I would have had to admit that even I was shocked and maybe a little moved to see things just as we left them even after the so-called "Clean-up" operation had crushed and destroyed everything. It actually hadn't been all that long since we left, but our shared nightmare in the Correctional Facility made it feel like years had passed since we left this place. "All right, Shion! Bring your bike down."

The three mice were now the giddy children, racing each other from corner to corner and squeaking with glee. Shion was slowly and carefully laying his bike against the hallway wall now. He didn't make a sound. It seemed as though he thought the place would crumble, or fall apart like a deck of cards if he were too rough. For the second time that day, I couldn't help thinking Shion looked almost _graceful_. And the familiar phenomenon of his hair catching the lamplight was always so beautiful…

As he looked around at the piano and the books, the look on Shion's face was something to behold. There was no silly, childish grin. The expression was vaguely similar to the one Shion's mama had on when she first saw her son again. Except she was _trembling_ in her happiness. In contrast, if Shion's movements were to get any more _elegant_, he could have been _Eve's_ stage rival. (Not that I would have allowed him anywhere near the theatre.) What happened to his old shuffling, halting steps?

Shion's lips had relaxed into a faint, but fond smile. Looking up and down the bookcase to my left, he trailed his fingers lightly across volume after volume as he walked forward. Then he turned and drew closer to me. Those attractive red irises of his were glossy now, shining in the lamplight, and meeting my own. He blinked and warm lamplight danced across pretty white eyelashes. "Nezumi," he said as if to gain my attention. Of course he already had it. It suddenly occurred to me I'd been _staring_…

"Welcome home, Shion." I meant to say it as a joke— I _thought_ it would come out as a tease, but I guess I was still a little amazed to be where I was standing, and Shion was so captivating just then, it came out more like I really _was_ welcoming him... _home_. His sweet, nostalgic smile grew a little larger. I was vaguely aware I had a smile on myself, and my heart was beginning to beat a little faster as he stepped directly in front of me. I reached for his hair to play with, just out of habit.

"Your eyes are…" he started, breathless. His chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. He looked right into my eyes again, red lights shining. "...they've always been… so _beautiful_." Odd. He's never stumbled over complimenting me before. I ran a thumb across his reddening cheek and opened my mouth to mock him, but his right arm was suddenly reaching toward me, and he laid his hand over my heart. I froze as he felt it speeding up with his touch. He made a surprise attack and my heart couldn't lie— it wouldn't beat _that_ way out of mild affection or transient kindness. Perhaps satisfied with his scientific observations, Shion brought up-stretched fingers to the sides of my chin, leaned in, and _kissed_ me. Not a pathetic little peck like when we were sitting on the couch just behind and to my right, but a deep and passionate one like I gave him the day before. And god, he really _is_ a fast learner...

Conveniently, just a few steps away, was my bed. Without breaking that kiss, I walked backwards, pulling him by his hips around the coffee table. When we reached the bed, I slid my hands down to the seat of his jeans for good measure, while he let down my hair. He ran his fingers through, exploring, and it felt great as I slid my mine slowly up his back, lifting his shirt off along the way. "See, told you I'm taller." I began to place a line of small kisses along the red mark on the front of his neck as he tilted his head back in pleasure.

He spoke to the ceiling through heavy breaths: "I still say… we're about… the same… height." More clothes were removed in a blur, and it felt as though we were following a masterful script or some sort of godly choreography, the way every little kiss and caress and lick and bite were so perfectly timed and placed and executed. Shion's gasps, cries, and moans were the best music I've ever heard. I've always secretly loved how sweetly he'd say my name, but the blissful way he was sighing it now just drove me crazy. I never knew there were so many things I wanted to do with his body and evidently he had no shortage of things to do with mine.

_Shion at his best, freely following feelings and impulses..._

What happened to that shy virgin who couldn't handle an offer of sex? Was it because we held back all this time? Perhaps we each stored up our own secret cache of fantasies about each other? Or was he sneaking peeks at Rikiga's magazines? It truly felt as though we'd both subconsciously mapped every spot we'd like to lick or kiss or stroke. And Shion was striking each with mathematical precision. _Shion_… an angel, a bringer of miracles… and his charming snake.

That's right… so often over these last few months, I'd run my thumb along the red mark tattooed across his cheek, just as I so often found myself fondling his hair, or stroking his head. I couldn't resist. More often than not, I'd start to do it without even realizing it. And Shion _loved_ it. He'd smile and relax into my touch, every time.

_Did he ever realise that if he touched me back, I wouldn't have been able to stop?_

It seemed we were both content to spend the entire day in bed. Well, almost. I had to laugh when that oblivious _natural_ decided he really wanted to at least take a few books back with him when he returned, so he started perusing the shelves, seeking his favourite volumes… in his birthday suit. I teased and watched him fondly. I traced over that gorgeous snake of his with my eyes, committing to memory the exact shade of red, the exact trajectory it took around his body… and how uniquely fetching he is overall.

We put on clothing to eat our packed lunches, only to tear it all off again soon after we finished. I napped a bit while he did some reading. He napped while I had some tea and flipped at random through Shakespeare's sonnets. I found myself distracted watching him sleep, soundless and peaceful.

_Right now he is just as much poetry to me as what is written on these pages._

But the sun was going to be setting soon. I was going to be late moving on. I was inspired to go to the piano to wake him. As I began to play, Shion stirred and got up. Catching glimpses as I improvised, he was still a vision; only now a vision with _sound_— the sound of a growling stomach! His cheeks reddened a bit, but I knew how to get them redder: "You really _are_ insatiable, aren't you?"

We shared some evening snacks. It wasn't a complete meal— but it was still enough. And we still had so much more to spare. I sat back at the piano again.

_Do I really need to leave right now?_

"Shion," He looked at me, and it pained me to see the desperation with which he attempted to keep the concern off of his face. "Don't get the wrong idea…" He looked away, crestfallen.

"I know you can't stay…" His voice was dejected and his eyes downcast. "I know I can't ask for you to stay any longer." His voice shrank to a whisper during the course of that sentence.

"You're right, you can't ask me to stay any longer… but can I ask _you_?"

He looked up, confused. "Ask me what?" I began another tune, playing idly.

"I've stayed one more day, for you. I know you have a phone now and… maybe you can…" Now _my_ face was heating up. I looked back toward the piano and cleared my throat slightly. How could he bare his heart so easily to someone like me, when it's as hard to do as this? "Shion, will you stay here one more night, for me?"

At first he was speechless, mouth agape, but then... that _smile_. His happiness infected me. This was _my_ night.

"I'll take it that's a yes? Then we must have revelry! May I have this dance, _your __majesty_?"

—

We went separate ways this morning, but Shion and I will one day be reunited. Without a doubt. He understands my resolve now— I put it into one word, whispered in his ear.

"_Nezumi, is that… Is it your real… ?"_  
>"<em>Yeah it is. —Hey, what's wrong? Don't cry."<em>  
>"<em>Nothing's wrong. I'm just… really happy."<em>  
>"<em>You should be. I am… you survived."<em>

With the rest of the West Block gone I have no place to return to. And I need to finally put some distance between myself and the lingering stench of No. 6. I need to find my new purpose. Once I do that, I'll know when I can return to the one who waits for me. The Northern Forest will be the first stop on my search.

Sitting down for a rest at the edge of the North Block, I notice a crumpling from one of my cargo pockets. Did Shion slip something _else_ into my pants? How did I not notice this before? Could it be… a _love_ _letter_? Penned on paper from our former home? Written with _his_ grasp of language? Does _nothing_ embarrass him?

**Reunion Promise**  
>I'll watch for you always;<br>Your dripping silhouette.  
>Enter at my window<br>And stay another night.  
>Bring back your lips to mine;<br>Your silver eyes, my fire.  
>Bring back the heat to me<br>With which all humans live.  
>My heart beats in your chest,<br>My soul floats on your breath  
>Though now, we're not as one,<br>But equal halves instead.

"Ugh, terrible! Just you wait, Shion. I'll _never_ let you live this down."

_Idiot. We were already equals. And next time we meet, we'll be as one again._


End file.
